Marcus:A harpy???
Marcus:That’s mean. Do better, man.
Alex:FML
Alex:NO ONE UNDERSTANDS ME
Alex:You know what? I wasn’t going to tell you, but now I am
Alex:I just found a treasure trove of smutty Aeneas/Cupid fics
Marcus:Nope, don’t want to know
Alex:Apparently our shipping portmanteau is Aeneid
Marcus:Clever, but still NO
Alex:Just wanted to thank you for all that very tender lovemaking
Marcus:OH MY GOD STOP
Alex:Your stamina was truly impressive
Alex:Also your girth
Marcus:AGGGGGGH
Alex:Good luck forgetting this conversation, my stern but loving daddy
Marcus:I HATE YOU SO MUCH
Alex:Off to take a nap now, byeeeeeeeee
Alex:
Marcus:
Alex:
5
ALEX WAS LOOKING AT HER WITH THE ODDEST EXPRESSIONon his fatigue-creased face.
After one last snort, Lauren managed to contain her punch-drunk hilarity. Using the neckline of her tee, she wiped away the wetness under her eyes.
“What?” He braced himself against the door of the sedan, seemingly unaware that their driver had efficiently hoisted all their luggage from the car’s trunk and was awaiting his attention. “What’s so funny?”
The unaccustomed laughter had hurt her throat a little, and she reached inside the back seat for her forgotten bottle of water. After a swig, she shut the door and flicked a dismissive hand.
“You’ll find out soon enough.” She tilted her head toward their patient driver. “Let’s allow this poor woman to get on with her evening.”
“Oh.” In a startled rush of movement, he turned toward the uniformed driver, pressed what appeared to be a substantial tip in her hand, and waved her off.
The sedan completed the driveway’s circle and disappeared down the narrow, twisty Beachwood Canyon road as Lauren took stock of her surroundings.
If she had a dog named Toto, she’d inform him they weren’t in NoHo anymore. They were, in fact, right below the Hollywood sign, perched high on a mountainside, in a neighborhood where wealthy and famous people lived, rather than middle-class non-entities like her.
On the way to his house, driving up and up again on those tiny roads, they’d passed countless enormous, impeccably maintained houses. No,estates. Ones with an eye-popping array of architectural styles ranging from Spanish Colonial to—well, Turreted German Mini-Castle.
